Precious Girl
by Rai
Summary: It started as a RangerSteph drabble based on a challenge from livejournal's babefic community. Now it would appear it has a life of its own. Centres around Ranger and Steph, over some years. Involves the Merry Men with very few unknown characters.
1. Authors Notes

**Authors Notes: Please read them before moving onto the first chapter and then the following chapters.**

**The Stephanie Plum Novel series belongs to Janet Evanovich. I make no claim to own her characters, or any of the locations mentioned within her books. I am using them for a bit of fun, and will promptly return all but Ranger. I'm keeping him ;)**

**The first chapter was written as a response to a challenge posted on the "BabeFic" livejournal community, I warped the idea, and, as I'm not very fond of song-fics, I took only a few key lines and wove them into my story. **

**It gave me a tone I was happy to work with, and the story came from there.**

**This story, will jump in time somewhat, over about fifty years, though, I have no intention of bringing in any "Mary Sue/Stu" Characters. This is a Plumverse fic, and I'll keep it that way. I get confused enough with the current characters as it is ;) **

"**Precious Girl" is intended as the beginning of the second chapter onwards; to work out exactly how Ranger and Steph got to that place we found them in, in the first chapter. It is short, though the next chapters will be longer. I adore reading long fics myself.**

**I hope you enjoy it; it's my first foray into writing Plumverse fic. Though not my first fan fiction. Comment greedy authors irritate me, if you like it? Or really despise it? You'll comment. If not? Not a problem. **

**Also, my darlings, as fair warning, I am not an American, so my spelling is likely at times to be off. However, I'm making every attempt at "Americanising" this story for the sake of continuity. I'm also going along with Janet's time policy, where Steph seems to be perpetually the same age. ;)**

**Alrielira **


	2. My Precious Girl

**Title:** "Precious Girl"  
**Author:** Alrielira  
**Spoilers:** General spoilers   
**Disclaimer:**The usual disclaimers: Come On Closer lyrics,artist name, images are copyrighted to their respectful owners. I borrowed them. I make no money from their creative work. Nor do I make any money from the use of JE's characters, settings etc.  
**Rating/Warning:** PG-13  
**Summary:** _"**Challenge: **_Use this song as inspiration: "Come on Closer" by Jem. Any length, due one month later ;) I got in early._**"**_**_Jem Come On Closer lyrics_**_** cross posted to live journal's babefic community.**_

_I_ used the lyrics as inspiration, but I'm afraid I deviated from the original intention of the song ;) Still, I hope you enjoy it, it's my first foray into writing Plumverse fic. Though not my first fanfiction. **  
****_Alrielira_****__**

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**Precious girl: **

_Just relax now __  
__I'll take care of you _

Her breathing was laboured but she still smiled faintly at the handsome Cuban man who held her hand gently within his own calloused grasp. He smiled in return, dark eyes softened in her presence alone.

"Wanna see the baby Ranger." She murmured quietly and he nodded, brushing back an errant curl off her face. She was tired-rather predictably and yet, as always, he thought she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever known. She was certainly the one he'd loved the most.

"Soon Babe, the baby will be here soon. They've just got to check her over. You did so well, I'm so proud of you Babe."

She flashed him a brilliant smile, despite how tired she was, and her eyes lit up joyously,

"Really think so?"

His nod was barely perceptible and yet, she knew he meant it, his features had shifted subtly and she recognized the change.  
_  
__Keep your eyes on me __  
__Your reaction __  
__To my action __  
__Is what I want to see _

She patted the bed next to her, and he climbed up against her, wriggling up against his wife, on the small hospital bed. Their hands joined and they shared a secret smile, it's how Tank found them a short time later. Steph asleep, with Ranger watching over her, a faint smile lingering on his lips and in his eyes. He loved his wife. So dearly.

He turned, noticing the movement , his body relaxing when he noticed who it was. Slipping from the bed he moved over to Tank and offered him a faint smile.

"She's sleeping?" A nod. "You should sleep too man, it's been a long day." 

Another nod, and even the usually stoic Tank couldn't help but smile as he went back to the waiting room to tell those who were gathered the news. Ranger slipped back into Steph's room to lay back down next to her and try to catch a few minutes rest before the family descended on them.  
_  
__Go to sleep for ten __  
__And anticipating __  
__I will be waiting __  
__For you to wake again _

Stephanie died that night, in her husband's arms, a frail old woman, held by an aging Cuban man who loved her more dearly then his own life. Their newest grand child, held preciously in her namesake's arms.


	3. Beginnings

**Title:** Chapter Two: "Humble Beginnings"  
**Author:** Alrielira/ Rai  
**Spoilers:** General spoilers  
**Disclaimer:** The usual disclaimers: I make no money from Janet Evanovich's fine characters. I am merely playing with them for a short while before returning them. This story was started initially as a one shot, but, it seems to want to be continued, and, as many times seems to be the case, stories have a mind of their own.  
**Rating/Warning:** PG-13  
**Summary:** "Challenge:Use this song as inspiration: "Come on Closer" by Jem. Any length, due one month later ;) I got in early. The origional chapter was cross-posted to live journal's babefic community

----------------------------------

**Fifty Five years earlier, Trenton New Jersey. USA.**

**Day One.**

My name is Stephanie Plum. I am a thirty year old bounty hunter. Ironically, I am on the run from the police.

The locks to my appartment had tumbled open at three am. I knew this, because I hadn't been asleep, but had rather been staring at my digital clock, trying to ward off nightmares. Because you see? Just a short while ago I had been abducted. Abductions tended to make people nervous. Especially me.

Now, some people might be unused to people breaking into their appartments, but no, not me, because my appartment is the Grand Central Station of Trenton New Jersey, everyone breaks into my appartment.

But there are two main men in my life, and those two men seem to rather like breaking into my appartment, the first is my on again, now off again boyfriend/ex-fiance Joseph Morelli, a Trenton cop who I have had a long and sordid past with. The second is my friend, mentor and occasional Cuban sex God, Ricardo Carlos Manoso, or Ranger as he's known on the streets.

So, odds are, it was one of those two men. Needless to say, I was shocked to see one of Ranger's men, Tank-given name unknown, blocking my doorway.

"Steph?" He began cautiously, slowly moving towards me. I nodded, and rose slowly from my position on the floor next to my bed, trying to smooth down my hair.

"Bombshell?" Came another two voices simultaniously, Bobby Brown, and Lester Santos, another two of Rangers men.

"Guys?"

"Uhh…Steph?" Tank began cautiously, until Lester took over. "We need you to come with us. There's a bit of a situation."

"What sort of a situation?" My voice was slowly starting to rise, as panic began to increase exponentially.

"Joe Morelli is dead.As is Terry Gillman and Albert Kloughn." Bobby murmured quietly, as Tank swiftly moved closer to me, doublessly incase I fell.

"The Police are coming for you Bombshell. They think you're involved. We're here to get you out of here, and far away until this is sorted. Ranger's orders."

"No." I shook my head. "No." Again. "Why?"My legs seemed to give up on me all at once. And my world went black with a painful suddeness..

Unknown to Stephanie, Ranger Manoso was making plans at that very moment, to get Stephanie out of the country under a false passport which was being collected at that very moment by a Rangeman employee above suspicion. Ella. His housekeeper.

Ranger wrote one email while he was waiting, to his daughter to be sent in approximately nine hours time, from his work computer. It served two purposes, one; to let his little girl know he loved her. And two, it would help to delay the police hopefully; from realising he and Stephanie had gone into the wind. Most men on the run didn't contact their children from their work computers. Not without saying goodbye. And his ex would no doubt understand the hidden message. Even if the police wouldn't.

His phone rang, and he answered with the curt "Yo" his men were accustomed to. Tank's message was short, to the point and professional.

"She's sedated, and comfortable. All good."

Ranger hung up then, and made his way downstairs, climbing into one of the Rangeman Bronco's. Big black cars that helped portray the "badass" image he was so fond of portraying. He drove to the airport, and climbed up into the private plane Rangeman owned, sitting next to Tank. Lester and Bobby would pilot the plane to their destination.

Not one of them could have known, they wouldn't see Trenton again, for a little over a decade. Or that within hours, the Rangeman building would have been burnt to the ground, with several others around Trenton dead, and Stephanie Plum, Ricardo Carlos Manoso, and the members of Rangeman's "Alpha" team, the key suspects.


	4. Revelations

**Title:** Chapter Three: Revelations  
**Author:** Alrielira/ Rai  
**Spoilers:** General spoilers  
**Disclaimer:** The usual disclaimers: I make no money from Janet Evanovich's fine characters. I am merely playing with them for a short while before returning them. This story was started initially as a one shot, but, it seems to want to be continued, and, as many times seems to be the case, stories have a mind of their own.  
**Rating/Warning:** PG-13  
**Summary:** "Challenge: Use this song as inspiration: "Come on Closer" by Jem. Any length, due one month later ;) I got in early. The original chapter was cross-posted to live journal's babefic community

**Chapter Three: Revelations.**

I woke some time later, disoriented and aching, my head felt like I'd been whacked about with a baseball bat, and I couldn't help but whimper as I tried to sit up.

"Easy Bombshell." Lester. I knew that voice. "Just a side effect from what we gave you. Sit up nice and slow…that's the girl. Bobby?"

A muffled "Kinda busy." Came from the cockpit of the aeroplane, I presume busy meant flying it..

"Tank?" Lester asked.

"I'll get her something for it."

A few minutes later, I had three white pills in my hand. I took them, along with a mouthful of water from the bottle that had just been handed to me. I tried not to gag, and miraculously managed it.

Sleep claimed me once more. Tank had grabbed the bottle of water from my hand as it slipped towards the floor and I woke up again several hours later in a room, bare but for a bed, and a chair, which contained a sleeping Ranger.

"Ranger?" I muttered quietly, to which I got an equally quiet, "Babe?"

"How long was I out? Where am I? And what the hell happened?"

Ranger sighed, ever so quietly, and his features were set, but for the briefest of moments in a grim look. He replaced it just as quickly, with a blank look, and sat up straighter, his torso leaning forward in his chair, hands coming to steeple, resting on his knees.

"The first time? Seven hours. The second? Nineteen. The third? Twelve."

So that was thirty six, no, thirty eight hours. That meant I could be anywhere.

"You're in one of our safe houses, somewhere safe…"

At my pointed look he took a deeper sigh and responded with a sad smile.

"Malaysia, we're in Malaysia. We're going to move on tomorrow morning. We just wanted to make sure you were well. We're in Malaysia, because of what happened in Trenton, Babe? Do you remember what happened in Trenton? With Joe, and Terry and Albert?"

Everything came flooding back in a painful suddenness. "They're dead." I whispered, my eyes already tearing up. "They're dead, and they think we did it don't they?"

Ranger nodded, and rose slowly. "Get dressed Babe, have a shower, it's through that door, and to the right, we'll brief you on everything once you're all cleaned up."

I nodded mutely, and rose, before realizing I didn't have any clean clothes. Ranger, as if sensing this reached under the bed, for a black duffel bag, which he handed to me.

"Hair dye is in there babe, I expect you to use it." He left then, with me standing shocked in a bare bedroom, somewhere in a foreign country on the other side of the world.

It took me a long time to move out of the bedroom, and up into the small bathroom. White tiled, lit with a florescent light, and climbed into the small shower to wash away almost two hours of grit and grime using the small travel pack of soap that was in the duffle Ranger had given me. I showered quickly and wrapped a towel around myself, and opened the bag again, pulling out the red hair dye. I read the instructions, and made the mix up, and, with gloves on my hair, I used the two bottles that were provided. It needed half an hour to set.

It was while I was standing, naked but for a towel, with my hair covered in hair dye that I got a chance to think. I had just blindly followed Ranger's orders. Without question. What did that say about me as a person? I'd allowed them to kidnap me, drag me halfway across the world to a foreign country, no doubt on a false passport, and here I was, standing here, dying my hair, all because Ranger had told me I had to.

Banging on the door shook me from my revere and I realized I had been standing there forty minutes. I called out a hurried "Just a few minutes." And stepped into the shower again to wash the dye from my hair. Drying it ruined the towel I'd been given to use, but I didn't think Ranger would miss one towel.

I stared back at myself for a minute, before dressing in the black pants and tee that had been provided for me, and pulled my now red curls into a pony tail and stepped out into the hall and walked back to the kitchen.

This place was an apartment clearly. One bedroom, small bathroom, joined kitchen and eating area, with no TV, no couch and a few stools around the kitchen bench. The men were gathered in the kitchen, pouring over papers which had been laid out on the table. Looks like I hadn't been the only one to be given hair dye. The boys, all but Ranger had dyed their hair, and Ranger was getting his head shaved by tank at the moment, as he sat on a stool in the kitchen with a plastic drop sheet underneath to catch the falling hairs.

The boys all offered smiles when I entered the room, but they all came nowhere near their eyes.

'Babe." Ranger gestured me closer. "We have some things to explain to you. And then we have some decisions to make."

I nodded and stepped closer in silence, catching sight of building plans on the table, as well as several world maps, and sheets of loose leaf paper with handwriting on it. They made no move to cover it up.

Lester stood, and offered me his chair and I took it. Waiting to be told what event, or information that had taken me from my world, and turned me into a fugitive.

Ranger sighed softly and began his story.

"When I was in the Rangers, I was assigned to a unit, neither military nor civilian, but a mixture of both. We did what are known as wet work, the stuff that even those who participate in black ops won't admit to doing. That's how Tank, Lester, Bobby and I met, we were all members of that team. Tank was a Ranger like me, though I hadn't known him before hand.

Lester was a SWAT member from LA. SWAT applicants undergo rigorous selection and training, similar to the training some spec op units in the military receive. Emphasis is placed on physical fitness so an officer will be able to withstand the rigors of close quarters battle. They're trained in marksmanship for the development of accurate shooting skills. They get training in explosives, sniper training, first-aid, negotiation, and other area's.

Bobby was an agent with the DEA. Drug Enforcement if you didn't know. The **DEA** is lead agency for domestic enforcement of Federal drug laws, it also has sole responsibility for coordinating and pursuing U.S. drug investigations abroad.

We were one of the primary teams. We were sanctioned by the government, and worked under their approval. When the administration changed, we were released from our contracts and Rangeman was born. We had a lot of skills, legal and legitimate as well as the darker side of our world, and we figured we may as well utilize the legitimate ones we'd learnt."

I was glad I was sitting down. I have to admit that.

"That was the most I think I've ever heard you speak."

"Babe." He offered me a faint smile, and the boys couldn't help but chuckle quietly.

"Six months ago. Everything changed."

_ Now why didn't that shock me?_


	5. You Can't Go Home

**_I am very sorry for the delay, but work has been hectic, a new promotion means longer hours. I will assuredly try to update more often then I have been. As always, this is cross posted to the Plum Fan Fiction group on Yahoo and my writing" Live Journal" as well as being posted here._**

_**Constructive Criticism is always welcome, flames however…well, flames don't bother me. Comment if you would. If not, please enjoy. **_

_**Obviously, Janet Evanovich owns the characters you recognise.**_

"_We were one of the primary teams. We were sanctioned by the government, and worked under their approval. When the administration changed, we were released from our contracts and Rangeman was born. We had a lot of skills, legal and legitimate as well as the darker side of our world, and we figured we may as well utilize the legitimate ones we'd learnt."_

_I was glad I was sitting down. I have to admit that._

"_That was the most I think I've ever heard you speak."_

"_Babe." He offered me a faint smile, and the boys couldn't help but chuckle quietly._

"_Six months ago. Everything changed."_

_**Now why didn't that shock me?**_

"Six months ago, a man by the name of Abraham Daily was killed, executed really, and our former commander began talks to have our unit reactivated. But nothing moves quickly in the military. Due to the sensitive nature of our work, only certain people were informed, but, obviously, people have spoken out of turn. Abraham Daily was Albert Kloughn's handler.

Albert Kloughn" A quiet sigh. "Albert Kloughn is, _was_" he corrected "actually a man by the name of David Cooper. David was an expert in International law and when our unit disbanded he figured he'd deserved a break. He changed his name, moved to New York, where he met your sister and ended up settling here. It was pure coincidence that we ended up in the same city, though it did allow us to keep a close relationship going, and allowed us to keep a better eye on the people we loved. We began making arrangements for your sister and the kids to be moved out of the country to safety. A safe house, a safe life would have been set up for them wherever they wanted to go. We take care of our own, and we wouldn't needlessly risk anyone's life. I wouldn't risk anyone's life needlessly, especially someone who meant so much to you."

I felt sick. Like I might throw up, and I must have said something out loud because Bobby took a step backwards and Tank moved closer to rub soothing circles on my back.

"So it was all part of some sick perverted game?" I questioned indignantly. "Some part of your sick world where you play on people's emotions? Is my…was it all fake? Did he actually…"

"Love your sister?" Ranger interrupted quietly. "Yes. He did. Very much. She's a good woman Babe. And Albert…David really did love her. And she'll be well provided for. Our line of work, well…getting out, is always harder then getting in, and getting close to someone is hardest still. But he did love your sister Babe, and those girls. He wasn't pretending. It wasn't all a lie. Didn't you ever wonder where the money came from? He certainly never had any clients…"

"Then you?" I questioned quietly. "You aren't really Ricardo Carlos Manoso?"

A quiet shake of his head.

"No Babe, I'm not. There is no Ricardo Carlos Manoso. Just like Albert-David, we set up new lives for ourselves. New identities, it's why we live in the shadows. My real name is Carlos López Marcos, but, everyone has always called me Rico. It was my father's name."

"What about Joe and Terry?"

If the boys were shocked by the sudden change in topic, and my seeming disinterest in the news that Ranger wasn't who I thought he was they were polite enough not to comment.

"We're not sure yet Babe." Ranger said. "We're just not sure. But there's no way this isn't connected. I don't believe in coincidence. And there is some connection that we're obviously missing."

"I want to go home." I whimpered. "Mom will be worrying about me. I just want to go home."

"You can't Stephanie." Lester spoke quietly, and with a graveness that I hadn't ever heard from him.

"They found your prints on the murder weapon, and well…Terry and Joe were found naked in his bed. The police called to shots fired. There was sign of sexual intercourse…It looks…it looks like a crime of passion."

Now that? That really did have me throwing up.


End file.
